16th Maine Infantry soldier writes about Petersburg

This letter was recently sold on eBay.

Letter written by John H. Frain, 16th Maine Infantry, Co. G. Date is August 1, 1864. He details recent news about the siege of Petersburg. See transcript excerpts below.

Frain was from Madison, ME and enlisted on 8/14/62 as a Corporal. He was taken prisoner on July 1st at Gettysburg (later paroled), then taken prisoner just 19 days after writing this letter, at Weldon Railroad, VA (later paroled).

August 1, 1864

Excerpted:

… our folks blowed up two forts for the Rebels. Our folks dug for one fourth of a mile underground ….

….amount of powder and when they got all ready torched her off and ______ at the same time the whole length of the line of battle.

Burnside’s Negroes charged in it at the same time and took several hundred prisoners and several pieces of artillery. The fight lasted from four o’clock in the morning til noon when it ceased. A great many of the wounded lay dead there yet they are between the two lines and they will not accept a flag of truce so they have to lay there and die in the hot son. We are not in the heaviest of it. Was a little to the right of us. We have been very lucky lately of being up in any fights.

A blanket of snow covers the graves of 1,400 Confederate boys at Franklin

For more on the Battle of Franklin visit this blog.

25th Indiana soldier is hunted down by Rebel bloodhounds in Holly Springs, MS

FOR SALE

25th Indiana Infantry soldier (John Nilson) writes about a soldier being hunted by bloodhounds and torn to pieces near Holly Springs, MS.
Great content related to guerilla warfare in the summer of 1862.

Autograph letter signed (ALS), 4pp., 8vo.,

La-Grange, Tenn.
7/9/62

Description:

Nilson writes with a keen eye that while on a blackberry expedition he heard some shooting nearby. His group returned to camp since they didn’t have their guns with them. He did not want to repeat an incident that took place at Holly Springs (MS), when one of the 25th Indiana soldiers from Co. F had fallen behind and was “hunted down by bloodhounds and tore to pieces.” In retaliation, the Hoosier-Yankees burnt the plantation rails and destroyed two large fields (cotton, corn),leaving for memphis to guard the train, etc.

Very Fine condition
$350.00
(free shipping & insurance)

Union soldiers are hunted by Rebel bloodhounds in the Southwest, Harper’s Weekly 11/21/63

Other content notes about this letter, i.e., what else Nilson mentions?

• Richmond news  . . .  30,000 Rebels killed
• “Our freedom is not far distant”
• Other men named Murphy, Sheerer and Wright
• Very descriptive account of the blackberry expedition
• “our Army (presence) . . .  is very disagreeable to the people . . .”
• poignant account of the bloodhounds killing a Co F soldier at Holly Springs
• “will be in Memphis soon”

Research notes on John Nilson and the 25th Indiana:

John Nilson was from Medora, Indiana, and was promoted to 1st Lt on 8/18/64 and to Captain on 1/1/65.  At the time of this letter he was with the District and Army of West Tennessee.

The 25th Indiana saw action at:

• Ft. Donelson - losing 16 killed and 80 wounded. It was part of the force which stormed and captured the outer works the next day and occupied the fort after its surrender.
• Shiloh - The 25th  left for Pittsburg landing on Mar. 5, reaching there on the 18th and in the battle of Shiloh, lost 27 killed and 122 wounded.
• Siege of Corinth - The regiment was in the siege of Corinth and on June 10 occupied Grand Junction.
• Memphis - The 25th moved for Memphis July 17 and remained there until Sept. 6, engaged in scouting and hunting guerrillas.
• Bolivar - It then occupied Bolivar until Oct. 4, when it moved with Hurlbut’s division to cut off Price and Van Dorn, meeting their forces at Hatchie River and engaging in a short but fierce battle, in which the regiment lost 3 killed and 76 wounded.
• Davis Mill - It then moved to northern Mississippi, and six companies under Col. Morgan were stationed at Davis’ Mill on Wolf River where they were attacked by Van Dorn with a large force of mounted infantry.  They fought so fiercely that the enemy was compelled to leave the field, after losing 23 killed, many wounded and some prisoners.  The remaining four companies were distributed along the line of railroad from Grand Junction to Holly Springs.
• Atlanta Campaign - It joined the 4th division, 16th corps, before Atlanta, and was actively engaged in the siege from Aug. 8 to ,26. It was in the engagement at Jonesboro joined in pursuit of Hood’s army, attacked and routed the enemy at Snake Creek Gap . . .
• Savannah - It returned and accompanied the army to Savannah, and participated in the investment of that city.  It remained in that vicinity until Jan. 4, 1865, when it moved with the 11th corps to Beaufort, S. C. going from there to Pocotaligo.

Key words this letter pertains to:

25th Indiana Infantry | John Nilson Co. G | Van Dorn | Shiloh | Corinth | Guerilla warfare | Ft Donelson | Holly Springs, MS | Marshall County, MS | Northern Mississippi

Holly Springs, MS

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All information is deemed reliable but subject to revision as more is learned. I offer few items for sale so please contact me at civilwargazette[at]yahoo.com if interested.   Let me know if you’re looking for specific items or areas of interest.

Soldier from 63rd Indiana writes of Franklin-action detail

I recently attended the Civil War Show in Nashville and acquired several letters from a 63rd Indiana soldier named Addison Lee Ewing. Ewing was from Haubstat, Indiana and enlisted on 5/1/62, mustering in to Company C of the 63rd Indiana Infantry with the rank of 1st Sergeant. He resigned on 4/6/65 due to disability.

During his service he saw three promotions: 2nd Lt on 10/2/86, 1st Lt on 6/24/64, and finally to Captain on 10/1/64 (As of Co. I). He transferred from Company C to I on 11/6/64.

The 63rd Indiana became part of the Army of the Ohio in December 1862, staying with that organization until February 1865 when it was assigned to the Department of North Carolina.

The 63rd Indiana saw action at Second Bull Run, East Tennessee, Rocky Face Ridge and Resaca; Dallas, Lost Mountain, the Atlanta Campaign, and Hood’s Tennessee campaign, including Franklin and Nashville.

At Franklin (30 November 1864), the 63rd Indiana served on the far left Union flank with Israel N. Stiles’s brigade, along with the 120th and 128th Indiana regiments. These three Indiana regiments faced the onslaught of the Confederates under Scott and Featherston that fateful day.

I’ve written extensively on these Indiana regiments previously on this blog. Hundreds of Confederate soldiers from Alabama and Mississippi lost their lives trying to breach the Union left flank near the Nashville-Decatur Railroad as it buttressed up against the Harpeth River.

By the time of the Battle of Franklin, Addison Lee Ewing was Captain of Company I of the 63rd Indiana Infantry. I’ll say more soon, but here is a partial transcript of the letter Lee wrote to his wife on December 22nd, from Nashville (1864).

. . . Day before yesterday [would have been the Dec 20th], we was up at Franklin where there are hundreds of new made graves filled by the enemy. I went up into the old Breastworks where we lay and all over the front of our Brigade which is pretty well doted with rebble graves at our place there is 14 of Co. K of Miss[issippi] laying in a row. I see one grave marked Lt. J.P. See (sic), 55th Tenn. [This was J.P. Seed]. There are horses laying around almost on our works . . . .

I’m researching this more so come back soon to continue reading more about Lee’s accounts of Franklin and Nashville.

If citing this letter please use: Addison Lee Ewing letter (December 20, 1864). From the Kraig McNutt Civil War Collection.

Confederate Canteen

Carved Confederate Canteen We’ve Ever Handled and Certainly One of the Finest in Existence. Classic Gardner pattern canteen with iron hoops and, in this case, turned wooden spout. Relief carved shield on the face inscribed “Port Hudson/ July 8, 1863″. American flags and arms panoply at the top with intricate incise carved scroll work at the sides. Deeply relief carved underneath “O. J. Pierce.” Osborn James Pierce served with the 24th Maine Inf. from October 13, 1862, to August 25, 1863, and was obviously with the regiment at the fall of Port Hudson. Pierce subsequently served with the 7th Maine Light Arty. from December 30, 1863 to June 21, 1865. Canteen overall with dark rich patina, age hairline crack diagonally on the face, with no loss and very sound. The reverse face bears the legend, “Canteen/ Obtained From/ A/ Rebel Prisoner (relief carved)/ At/Port Hudson/ La.” The entire inscription with intertwined incise carved scrolls. Pierce, in addition to his military exploits was an architect and sometime illustrator for Harper’s Weekly. Source: HA.com auction. Sold for  $11,352.50    

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Effects of John Whipple, Co. C, 11th New Hampshire Vols.

John Whipple, Co. C, 11th New Hampshire Vols., Who Died as a POW at Andersonville, June 27, 1864. Whipple enlisted in the 11th on August 18, 1862, and was captured at Knoxville, Tn. November 22, 1863. He is buried in the Andersonville National Cemetery.

Source: HA.com auction

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Telegraphic Night Pistols

1864 Display Board with Sixteen Coston’s Flares for Use with the U.S. M1862 Army Signal Pistol. Each flare is different, held in place by a copper wire loop, and identified by a number or letter, that were apparently keyed to a legend which no longer accompanies the display. 14″ X 19″ nicely mounted in a gilt lined period walnut frame. The display heading, executed in water color and ink espouses, “Coston’s/ Telegraphic-Night-Signals/ U. S. Army Signal Service/ Signal-Pistol And Cartridges”. The signal pistol depicted is also executed in ink and watercolor as is the 1864 date. Attached below the pistol is a factory label for M. E. Coston’s flares, Patented April 8, 1859. All flares in perfect condition, the backboard with some toning and a few water stains, but very sound and bright.

Martha Jane Hunt Coston eloped with an American naval officer at the age of sixteen. Benjamin Franklin Coston, only twenty-one, became director of the U.S. Navy’s scientific laboratory in Washington, where he experimented with color coded signals to allow communication between ships. Upon his death, in 1847, Martha struck out on her own, perfected the flare system, and found a manufacturer to produce them. Sadly, she was never compensated for the flares she produced, at cost, for the Union Army during the war. Her perseverance after the war, however, led to the adoption of the Coston Maritime Signals on an international level. Source: HA.com auction. Sold for $8,962.50

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Ketchum Hand Grenade

One Pound Ketchum Hand Grenade Complete with Fins. 1.75″ diameter body which displays mould mark and substantial sprue. Source: HA.com auction

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25th Corps Union flag

Civil War Regulation, All Silk 25th Corps Flag of Maj. Gen. Godfrey Weitzel, Consigned by His Direct Lineal Descendants. Weitzel was the first Union general grade officer to enter the city of Richmond upon its fall, doubtless under this very flag. Weitzel was originally given command of the all black 25th Army Corps on December 3, 1864, maintaining the command until January 1, 1865, and resuming command February 2, 1865, through May of 1865. The flag is entirely hand stitched, 47.5″ on the hoist and 68″ on the fly, configured as a swallowtail. The blue silk body is composed of two pieces seamed horizontally in the center. The layered corps insignia is 21.5″ x 22.25″, with the number “25″ is 3.75″ high. There are four 0.25″ hand whipped grommets on the hoist for suspension. The flag is in superb condition, with absolutely no loss, although there are some cracks/breaks at the folds, obviously in need of being mounted and stabilized.

The 25th Army Corps was created on December 3, 1864, from the 10th and 18th Corps, which were disbanded. All white troops were placed in the newly formed 24th Corps, and all black troops on the 25th, under the command of Weitzel, in the Army of the James. Weitzel having previously commanded the 18th Corps. Units of the 25th Corps participated in the Siege of Petersburg, the Battle of Fort Fischer, and the Appomattox Campaign, with Weitzel brevetted to brigadier general in the regular army for his participation in the fall of Richmond. Weitzel stated, in 1866, upon the disbanding of the Corps, that the conduct of the 25th Corps “has been such to draw praise from persons most prejudiced against color, and there is no record which should give the colored race more pride than that left by the 25th.”
Sold for:  $50,787.50
Source: HA.com auction

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2nd National Confederate flag

Very Rare Second National Pattern Civil War Confederate Flag. With a fascinating contemporary history and accompanied by detailed analysis and authentication documents from noted flag authority Fonda S. Thomsen. In the late 1950’s the consignor’s father, through his position as editor of Variety, in Hollywood, formed a close friendship with actor Nick Adams. Adams, in 1959 assumed the starring role in the television series The Rebel, where he portrayed a wayward Confederate veteran in the American west, circa 1875, epitomizing the honor and gallantry of the “lost cause.” The consignor also became closely associated with Adams, and named him Godfather of his first child. Adams was presented the flag, circa 1960, at a UCV/SCV function honoring him for his portrayal of “Johnny Yuma,” at which time the history of its use during the war accompanied the flag. That history has been lost over the years, but the consignor’s recollection is that the flag was used in Richmond during the war. Shortly before his untimely death in 1968, Adams gave the flag to the consignor, in whose hands it has been ever since.

The flag is 36.25″ on the hoist and 59″ on the fly, constructed of one layer of wool bunting, the canton 23.625″ x 23″ in the pattern of the Army of Northern Virginia battleflag. The thirteen 2.5″ five pointed stars are yarn embroidered into the field. The cross is trimmed with a 9/16″ white cotton fimbriation, inserted between the cross and quadrants. The flag is constructed of two 18.75″ sections of white wool bunting flat fall seamed horizontally across the middle. The 1″ hoist is constructed of linen that has been wrapped around a 0.25″ rope halyard. The flag is in excellent sound condition. There is a 3.5″ x 2.5″ period patch at the upper fly corner, and the flag exhibits heavy soiling from airborne contaminants that definitely occurred during a period of use rather than during the flag’s storage. Ms. Thomsen suggests that the soiling is either the result of use in battle or from exposure to heavy smoke and soot, with strong indications, both from the materials used in its construction and the soiling that it was used on a Naval vessel.

Source: HA.com auction

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